Bojack Horseman is an animated series by Netflix, which just finished its 6-season run. And quite frankly, this series is, by far, my favourite show on T.V, period. There are a lot of reasons that attracted a huge fan following for this series- its brilliant script, creative use of visuals, humour and obviously, the relativity of the characters. If you aren’t familiar with the series, it mainly revolves around the life of Bojack Horseman, a middle-aged, retired actor. And as the name suggests, his character is half man and half horse. I know, it seems stupid. But trust me, this half-horse half-man cartoon is the most realistic portrayal of depression in the history of television.
Bob-Walksberg and his colleagues have made sure that the mental illness’ being depicted in the show are realistic and relatable. I believe that this show, for a lot of reasons, is the best way to learn about mental illness’ in the real-world setting. Of course, you might need a bit of academic background to grasp the different themes discussed in the show. But still, this gives out more practical information on certain mental disorders like depression and addiction than any textbooks I have ever read. And it's not just the one protagonist that showcase the symptoms of mental disorders, and everyone else tries to either ease his pain or inflict more. Rather almost all the characters in the show appear to have some mental disorders- however happy they seem (spoiler alert!).
It is hard to cover the topics discussed in the series with a 3-minute read. So, I don’t intend to attempt it. Rather I’ll just be providing you with some background to identify the ways in which the show portrays mental illness. The show starts off in a slow but entertaining way- introducing the main characters and making fun of the entertainment industry. The humour, I believe is opted as a way of neutralising the dark and depressing topics being discussed in the show. And they did a wonderful job with that. And as the show goes on, we learn more about the characters and this starts to slowly erase the typical stereotypes of depression and other mental disorders.
Bojack is depressed, yes, but he doesn’t go about weeping in the corner of his bedroom. Rather he opts other ways to deal with his sadness and anxiety, like using drugs and acting out. From afar, Bojack seems like just the opposite of depression. Bojack also showcases narcissistic qualities, which when added with depression is a very deadly combination. Even though he doesn’t proclaim it aloud, Bojack believes himself to be unique in the sense that he is the only sad person in the world- which is exactly how a depressed person might think. He acts out to win the praise of others because no matter what he does, he just can’t seem to think that he is good enough. So he turns to external sources for appreciation.
The show frequently makes use of an overly animated character to symbolize the thoughts inside Bojack’s mind telling him things like, “you don’t deserve it”, “you are stupid”, “you should die”, and so on. These internal thoughts, in psychology, is somewhat equivalent to schemas- a framework or pattern of thoughts and behaviour that organises categories of information and the relationship among them. These scenes where the character has conversations with himself is relatable to almost all. Because at one time or another, we bound to have done the same.
The show isn’t a mere portrayal of these conditions but it also attempts to explore the root causes of these mental disorders. According to Jeff Young, one of the most notable figures in the field of schema therapy, these thought patterns develop throughout childhood to adolescence. The show often plays flashback scenes of characters involving the emotionally abusive father or insensitive mother or peer pressure, throwing light into how these schemas came into existence. Bojack trusts no male companions as his father always criticised him and considered him a burden. And he believed that females lacked emotions because of his insensitive mother. So, whichever relations he gets into, he tries to sabotage it on his own. Either he didn’t want to feel the pain of separation or betrayal or he thought that he didn’t deserve any happiness that came along with such relationships.
The way it portrayed alcoholism is also commendable. It doesn’t just stop with the ‘happily ever after’ sign, but it shows the day after the ‘happily ever after’ and the day after that. It invites your attention to the sufferings one has to go through to cope with these challenges. Throughout the series, the characters employ various methods and coping strategies to deal with their mental problems, but nothing seems to bring a permanent solution. Amidst thousands of movies and shows out there, which distorts the reality of mental illness, stigmatize it, glamourise it, make fun of it, Bojack Horseman truly stands out as a reference to all those who wish to study mental disorders as it happens in the real world.
Even without the psychological accuracy, Bojack Horseman would have been a wonderful series on its own right. And don’t get this wrong- the show is about depression but it isn’t aimed at making its viewers depressed. It paints a realistic picture and at the same time, provide people with hope, hope that is real and achievable.
I’d like to end this article with some of the most depressing dialogues from the series, which accurately reflects the thinking of a person who is actually depressed;
“I need to go take a shower so I can’t tell if I’m crying or not”
“Sometimes I think I was born with a leak, and any goodness I started with just slowly spilled out of me and now it’s all gone. And I’ll never get it back in me”
“You are Bojack Horseman. There is no cure for that”
“I’ve had a lot of what I thought were rock bottoms, only to discover another, rockier bottom”
“Why can’t I be happy? Am I a pit, a pit that good things fall into”
